Translation of Icelandic on the stone is:
In loving memory of Katrin Kristin Brandsdottir
Wife of Sigurdur Thorarinson
born in Iceland 15 August 1854
died 12 November 1928
Sigurdur Thorarinson
born in 05 December 1852
died 25 March 1936
This is a five plot gravesite is located in the second row west of the main entrance to the old church. There are seven burials in this site. ...
Sigurdur Thorarinson
Sigurdur, born At Raudamel, Iceland, the son of Thorarinson Arnason and Groa Jonsdottir, and his wife Katrin, born at Olafsvik, Iceland, daughter of Brandur Gudmundsson and Gudrun Sigurdurdottir, with four children sailed from Stykkisholmur on the mail packet Magnetic to Scotland. They boarded the Corean of the Allan Line in Glasgow on 02 July travelling steerage with 643 Icelanders and 155 Scots, landing in Quebec 11 July. They arrived by train in Winnipeg 15 July 1889 and walked to Hallson, North Dakota to join his parents and two brothers to take up farming. After two bleak winters and one more child, and leading a cow, they walked to Husavik, Manitoba to farm with his brother Arni at17-18-4. The farm could not sustain two families. The poverty in Iceland seemed to follow them. In 1892, after barging to Selkirk, they walked to Winnipeg. They built a shanty and later a home at 250 Toronto Street. After a menial job hauling water he was hired by the Winnipeg Water Works retiring as foreman in 1921. He and Katrin owned a successful dairy business, King Edward Dairy and lived in a home they had built at 306 King Edward Street St. James. In the mid 1920’s they were unable to compete with the large commercial dairies in the city and chose to sell before they lost all they had worked so hard to gain. They returned to spend the rest of heir lives at the Toronto Street home. Katrin then suffered 2 strokes, the second one fatal. Sigurdur suffered blindness the last 3 years of his life and succumbed to complications of prostate cancer.
They had 12 children:--- Groa Gudrun b. 24 Feb. 1876 d. 09 Nov. 1961, married William Morris, Sigurdur Solmundur b. 1878 d. age 5 Runolfur Magnus b.25 Jan.1879 d. 17 Mar. 1969, married #1 Rose Land, #2 Mrs. Elliot, Rosebjorg Kristin b.27 Aug. 1881 d. 25 Jul. 1882, Solborg b.22 Aug.1882 d. 01 Jan. 1884, Sigurdur b.22 Aug. 1882 d. 17 Nov. 1964, Sigridur Solborg b. 07 Sept. 1886 d. 14 Jun.1958, married Richard Hallett, Oli Marz 07 Mar. 1889 d. 1889, Olina Gudrun b. 08 Nov. 1890 d. 30 Aug. 1945, married Walter Johnson, Johanna Ingibjorg b. 04 Feb. 1893 d. 22 Jul. 1969, married Arthur Herbert Rose, Katrin Gudlaug b. 30 Jan. 1895 d. 15 Jan. 1996, married Alfred Edward Rose, Gudbrandur b. 10 Jun. 1899 d. 27 Apr. 1978, married Karin Anderson
Others buried in this site --- Runolfur b. 1879 a brewery worker, Sigurdur b. 1883 an elevator operator, single, Olina b. 1890 a caregiver, single, Gudbrandur b. 1889 a federal grain inspector. Also there is his son Brandson Roy Thornson b. 31 Mar. 1931 d. 22 Sept. 2007, married Alice Watson. Their children, Drew, Chris, Jamie, Tammy.
In Iceland proper spelling is Thorarinsson. In Canada it appears as Thorarinson, Thorenson and Thornson.
Katrin Kristin Brandsdottir
Katrin was born at Olafsvik, Snaefellsnessysla, Iceland 15 August 1864 to Brandur Gudmundsson and Gudrun Sigurdurdottir, the second of eight children. Daughter of a poor fisherman she knew privation well. She met her future husband Sigurdur when he came to fish with her father. Married in 1875, she followed Sigurdur to farm at small holdings which would not support the growing family. At one point they had to hand over two of their children to fostering to avoid having them die though later one did. Theirs was a very sad life. It was desperation that led them to migrate. The early years in Canada were only a little better. Her skills and thrift saw them through many trials. Katrin was a strong woman who would not yield to any kind of failure. The family’s eventual success was truly remarkable. She is best described as being devoted, determined and passionate.
Sigurdur, born At Raudamel, Iceland, the son of Thorarinson Arnason and Groa Jonsdottir, and his wife Katrin, born at Olafsvik, Iceland, daughter of Brandur Gudmundsson and Gudrun Sigurdurdottir, with four children sailed from Stykkisholmur on the mail packet Magnetic to Scotland. They boarded the Corean of the Allan Line in Glasgow on 02 July travelling steerage with 643 Icelanders and 155 Scots, landing in Quebec 11 July. They arrived by train in Winnipeg 15 July 1889 and walked to Hallson, North Dakota to join his parents and two brothers to take up farming. After two bleak winters and one more child, and leading a cow, they walked to Husavik, Manitoba to farm with his brother Arni at17-18-4. The farm could not sustain two families. The poverty in Iceland seemed to follow them. In 1892, after barging to Selkirk, they walked to Winnipeg. They built a shanty and later a home at 250 Toronto Street. After a menial job hauling water he was hired by the Winnipeg Water Works retiring as foreman in 1921. He and Katrin owned a successful dairy business, King Edward Dairy and lived in a home they had built at 306 King Edward Street St. James. In the mid 1920’s they were unable to compete with the large commercial dairies in the city and chose to sell before they lost all they had worked so hard to gain. They returned to spend the rest of heir lives at the Toronto Street home. Katrin then suffered 2 strokes, the second one fatal. Sigurdur suffered blindness the last 3 years of his life and succumbed to complications of prostate cancer.
They had 12 children:--- Groa Gudrun b. 24 Feb. 1876 d. 09 Nov. 1961, married William Morris, Sigurdur Solmundur b. 1878 d. age 5 Runolfur Magnus b.25 Jan.1879 d. 17 Mar. 1969, married #1 Rose Land, #2 Mrs. Elliot, Rosebjorg Kristin b.27 Aug. 1881 d. 25 Jul. 1882, Solborg b.22 Aug.1882 d. 01 Jan. 1884, Sigurdur b.22 Aug. 1882 d. 17 Nov. 1964, Sigridur Solborg b. 07 Sept. 1886 d. 14 Jun.1958, married Richard Hallett, Oli Marz 07 Mar. 1889 d. 1889, Olina Gudrun b. 08 Nov. 1890 d. 30 Aug. 1945, married Walter Johnson, Johanna Ingibjorg b. 04 Feb. 1893 d. 22 Jul. 1969, married Arthur Herbert Rose, Katrin Gudlaug b. 30 Jan. 1895 d. 15 Jan. 1996, married Alfred Edward Rose, Gudbrandur b. 10 Jun. 1899 d. 27 Apr. 1978, married Karin Anderson
Others buried in this site --- Runolfur b. 1879 a brewery worker, Sigurdur b. 1883 an elevator operator, single, Olina b. 1890 a caregiver, single, Gudbrandur b. 1889 a federal grain inspector. Also there is his son Brandson Roy Thornson b. 31 Mar. 1931 d. 22 Sept. 2007, married Alice Watson. Their children, Drew, Chris, Jamie, Tammy.
In Iceland proper spelling is Thorarinsson. In Canada it appears as Thorarinson, Thorenson and Thornson.
Katrin Kristin Brandsdottir
Katrin was born at Olafsvik, Snaefellsnessysla, Iceland 15 August 1864 to Brandur Gudmundsson and Gudrun Sigurdurdottir, the second of eight children. Daughter of a poor fisherman she knew privation well. She met her future husband Sigurdur when he came to fish with her father. Married in 1875, she followed Sigurdur to farm at small holdings which would not support the growing family. At one point they had to hand over two of their children to fostering to avoid having them die though later one did. Theirs was a very sad life. It was desperation that led them to migrate. The early years in Canada were only a little better. Her skills and thrift saw them through many trials. Katrin was a strong woman who would not yield to any kind of failure. The family’s eventual success was truly remarkable. She is best described as being devoted, determined and passionate.